Mercruiser 4.3L Engine Problems...

[bergeronn]

I have a 2007 Tahoe 195 I/O that I recently had picked up from a maintenance shop. Come to find out, they allowed the boat to actually fill up with rain water to just below the seats which means there are probably a ton of new issues. I'm in the process of doing repairs myself now. Right now, I'm working on the power issue. I replaced the batter because it was bad and there was not any power at all going to the ignition switch or gauges. I do have power going to my GPS that I installed after buying the boat so it's not wired through the boat wiring harness. I checked the boat safety switch and it is in the RUN position. Right now, there is no power going anywhere else. Not to the trim switch, ignition switch, or the gauges. I checked all the fuses that I could find, and they are all good to go. I replaced the manual circuit breaker as well as it was corroded from the water. Tomorrow, I'm going to be getting a 'test light' to start checking where the power may be stopping at. Other than that, does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be going on? Also, on a separate note, I checked the oil level and it goes half way up the dip stick. My fear is that water may have gotten into the oil pan causing the oil to float higher than it should. Am I being paranoid? I'm pretty sure the oil level shouldn't be up that high on the dipstick, but there are no signs of water other than the high level. I'm going to do an oil change just for peace of mind. My question is, if there is in fact oil and water in oil pan, will doing an oil change fix the issue as long as everything is sucked out? I'm hoping so. My final fear is water in the fuel tank. I'm hoping that they are sealed tight so that no water can get in them. Other than that, let the maintenance begin. Thanks.

 

[TurtleTamer]

I hope you got it for really cheap!

1) Rain water is fresh water. That's better than salt water.

2) If it got to the seats it's very likely in the engine, especially with your high oil level. The good news is, again, it's fresh water and that a couple oil changes should fix that. Once now, and once or twice when it's running.

3) Unfortunately you've got at least a starter and alternator submerged, too. They could be ok after a good drying but I would count in replacing at some point pretty soon.

4) Almost forgot, welcome aboard. I haven't been here long so I don't normally feel right doing that.

5) Your power issue at the moment is likely a blown fuse on the starter itself. I'm not intimately familiar with the wiring on your particular boat but if the breaker is good, that's the other common point of failure between the battery and the gauges/trim system.

Good luck with your boat.

 

[tpenfield]

I think you have a long road in front of you. Based on your description of the water level, it would seem that there is water in the structure of the boat.

check see if the fuel tank is aluminum or plastic. If aluminum, then it will probably corrode through after a year or so.

water throughout the structure may cause rot in the next few years.

 

[Scott Danforth]

water in the oil tank and fuel tank can simply be removed. you may need to turn a wrench, however easily done

water in areas of the boat never intended for water....
water in wiring harnesses causes corrosion
water in starter and alternator will leave you stranded when they fail
water in upholstery causes mold
water in structure causes foam to become water logged after a while and promotes rot.

generally when a boat is filled that high with water, all the rotating electrical components on the motor are replaced along with the circuit breakers, relays and the wiring harnesses

 

[Rick Stephens]

No power to anything - engine end of the negative wire from the battery. That goes to back of the engine and is probably corroded. One place to start anyway. Brush it and every other connection shiny clean.

 

[bergeronn]

TurtleTamer - Thanks for the info. I was expecting the starter and the trim to have to be replaced. It doesn't look like the alternator was touched by the water. They drained it in time thankfully. I'll definitely check the fuse on the starter to see how that looks.

tpenfield - Luckily, the fuel tank is plastic. I should be good there as long as no water seeped into the fuel.

Scott Danworth - I'm expecting the wiring harness to have to be replaced as well. Luckily, the water didn't get high enough to touch the upholstery. Plus, I remove all of the seats before turning it in to be serviced anywhere.

Rick Stephens - I'll double check the engine end of the negative wire. I've had the boat since 2007 so there is a possibility that corrosion happened there as well over time.

As far as water in the structure of the boat, is there any trick to help determine if that is the case? I plan on starting to work on it this week. My goal is to at least get the power back to everything along with changing the oil out to remove water there. Once I do that, I can see what else may need replacing. I'll definitely be in touch. Thanks again.

 

[wahlejim]

Did you buy it this way or did the maintenance shop leave it outside? Are they paying for the repairs?

 

[garbageguy]

A "maintenance shop" allowed it to fill that much with water? How is the other "maintenance" they did?

 

[bergeronn]

wahlejim/garbageguy - I bought the boat in 2007. I just happened to bring it to them to do some repairs to replace corroded items. Come to find out, they never did any of the repairs. They had it sit in the yard for 2 months while I called weekly to get a status on it. They kept saying it was being worked on. Come to find out, they didn't do anything to it. I was not a happy guy when I finally went up there in person. After I saw what the boat looked like, I took it off of their lot. I talked with the manager and he stated that they are not responsible for damage caused by weather because there is no way of knowing whether or not the items worked before being submerged in water. They said I can bring it back to them in September when they have time to work on it and would work with me on the costs for the items that can be shown as being destroyed by the rain water, but at this point, I'm not even sure I want to bring it back to them. If anything, I'll fix it myself or take it to another location. I could then take them to court for repair costs, but then again, it will be very difficult to prove these things went bad because of the collection of water for 2 months. I do have a lawyer friend that I'm talking to today to see what I can do legally if anything.

 

[bergeronn]

These are the photos that I took after picking it up. Keep in mind, this boat was pressure washed completely before turning it in to them. It was also garage stored since 2007. The rust looking color is all from the water that collected in it. This is why I was not a happy camper.

 

[tpenfield]

I’d maybe try the state attorney general’s office to see if they can investigate. Perhaps some consumer protection laws/refs apply to this sort of situation.

Did you bring it to them with the plug in (or out)?

 

[bergeronn]

tpenfield - I'm definitely going to talk to someone about it. As for the plug, I always remove the plug when I take it out of water and when I pressure wash it, but they swear they didn't put the plug back in it. They kept telling me that they do their best to check the boats in their yard, but there is no way they checked mine seeing the water level where it was.

On another note, I was able to fix the grounding issue. There was corrosion on the back end of the ground wire. It's all cleaned up and grounded properly. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the issue of no power going anywhere. Still going to check the fuses. I did come across what you see in the picture. It's located in the back left portion of the engine compartment. I'm no electrician, but isn't this supposed to be plugged into something???? Am I missing part of my wiring harness??? I have never noticed this before and I'd like to think after 20 years in the Army, my attention to detail is pretty high. I'm willing to bet this may have something to do with my power going out to the controls, ignition, and dash amongst other things. The things you find when you go looking. Ugghhhh.

 

[Rick Stephens]

The good news is your boat is a fiberglass upper inside the tub. Not a lot to soak up water in there. Not sure where it has foam, so you are going to have to stick your head into nooks and crannies.

Take your electrical system one thing at a time. You'll get it working. Everything needs disassembly and cleaning. I'd do starter, alternator and trim pump right off.

 

[Rick Stephens]

I have never noticed this before and I'd like to think after 20 years in the Army, my attention to detail is pretty high. I'm willing to bet this may have something to do with my power going out to the controls, ignition, and dash amongst other things. The things you find when you go looking. Ugghhhh.

That's the main connector to the engine. Should be a female mate to that on the engine itself. No wonder you got no power.

 

[harringtondav]

What a trail of tears. I've never really trusted any auto or boat repair shop. Unfair, cuz the majority have integrity. This paranoia led me into hard core DIY. Now I only have myself to blame.

 

[Maclin]

The shop must have done something for that to be unplugged, or someone was getting ready to steal the motor maybe.

 

[bfeils]

I'd really be thinking about legal action. If you don't do the repairs yourself that a totaled boat. I hate to see that.

 

[bergeronn]

Well I tried going through insurance, and damage over time doesn't qualify for a claim through insurance. I also talked to a lawyer. The best they can do is send a letter to the maintenance shop to hopefully scare them into fixing everything. Since there is no proof that the things worked before turning it in, there isn't much I can do legally. On a good note, I've made progress with the boat. I have restored power to the trim. Right now, it just clicks and the trim doesn't move. Next step is to clean it up really good to see if that helps. I also found the power cable at the starter had corroded off all together. Hopefully, when I reattach that, I'll have power going back to everything. That is if the starter fuse isn't blown. I'll be checking that as well.

Just to make sure I'm on the right track, I've attached a picture of my trim and starter. The starter is pretty corroded so it may need replacing. I'm assuming the item I circled in yellow is the 90a fuse??? If so, would the power cable connect to the other side of the fuse? Or would it connect to the bolt I have circled in red???

As for the trim picture, I'm assuming the red box is a fuse as well??? For the cable in yellow with the tip corroded off, I'm assuming that connects to the fuse bolt as well.

The starter picture does look pretty bad, but keep in mind, its the original starter that is 11 years old. Plus the salt water that has gotten to it over time would lead to corrosion. That's why it would be hard to prove that the maintenance shop was at fault, and not time in the salt water atmosphere. Ugghhh

One thing for sure, this is going to be a great learning experience. Once I get it back running, I'm trading it in for a center console.

 

[bergeronn]

The shop must have done something for that to be unplugged, or someone was getting ready to steal the motor maybe.

I believe that as well. I'm going to have to go up there with pictures to show them. I called them over the phone and they swear they didn't remove anything. I know who I won't be taking my boat to anymore though.

 

[bergeronn]

4.3 Mercruiser Power to devices not working

I couldn't find my original post, so I started a new one. I've been working on my 2007 Tahoe that has a 4.3 Mercruiser in it. It had filled up with rain water so I've been trying to replace what needs to be replaced and clean up what needs to be cleaned up. Here is where I am at. I have power going to the Starter, Alternator, Trim, Blower, Ignition, Dash, and Live Well. I checked all the fuses I could find, but I'm thinking I'm either missing one somewhere or haven't found a bad cable somewhere. I don't have power to the Fresh Water Pump, the Bilge, the radio, or the lights. I do have power going to the float for the bilge, but even when I lift the float, the bilge won't turn on because there isn't any power going to the bilge pump. I've definitely made a lot of progress, but seem to be stuck at the moment. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what else I could check?

Also, to add to the above, I checked the power to all the fuses under the steering wheel and they all have power. Does anyone possibly have a detailed wiring diagram for a 2007 Tahoe 195 I/O? I may be able to find something on that. Thanks again.